Talk:Fibonacci sequence

The "example" of a Fibonacci Sequence in the Tool lyrics is clearly erroneous. The numbers simply don't add up. --Huey gunna getcha 21:57, 16 March 2007 (EDT)

I have to wonder if this example of lyrics is especially interesting or useful in this context. I also wonder if "Bill" is a member of the band whose lyrics he cites. Also, some further explanation of the honeybee example would be nice. I have a math degree, and the link from this example to the topic is plausible but far from obvious. --Abell 22:31, 16 March 2007 (EDT)

I think it is based on the number of syllables and not on the word count for each line. But then they seem to have split the lines up so that it works; when in fact it is just one sentence. I don't think it should be in this article, there are far more important things to add such as the general equation for the sequence. This could perhaps belong in a trivia section if it is verified.--Sm355 13:30, 19 March 2007 (EDT)

Honeybees

The example of honeybees is not entirely accurate in that it refers to the mated queen as always producing female offspring. The differentiation that occurs is a result of whether or not the individual egg is fertilized, the point being that a fertile queen is entirely capable of laying an unfertilized egg. This is most remarkable in that it indicates that the queen has some control over each egg that is layed with regard to its fertilization. The egg that will result in a drone must be deposited in a cell that is slightly larger than the standard honeycomb cell to allow for the male bee being larger than its sisters. It also means that the queen, having mated for a only a brief period of time during her mating flight, has the means to maintain the viability of the sperm over the span of her life, which can be as long as 5 years. Furthermore, the fertilized eggs don't really produce female offspring in the true sense of the word. The worker bees that are the result of these eggs are really underdeveloped females that are not capable of becoming fertile. They can, however, lay eggs in special circumstances of high stress that occur should the colony become queenless. These eggs can only become drones though, and the colony is doomed. In order to produce a new queen, the worker bees must have access to a fertilized egg that has been layed by a viable queen, or a lavae that is no more than a day or two old. They then can feed a young larvae a special food they produce, called "royal jelly" that causes the larvae to develop into a queen bee.

OK, glad to know all this, but the Fibonacci connection is...? --Abell 16:28, 18 March 2007 (EDT)